Community Corner

What Would You do With $40K?

Dannelle Gay of Operation $40K will visit W.J. Niederkorn on Feb. 16 for a free event to share her tips and tricks on extreme couponing that has saved her $55,000 since 2010.

A Racine-based woman who's had success with extreme couponing will share her tips and talents at a free event at the W.J. Niederkorn Library in February.

Dannelle Gay of Operation $40K will be at the library from 10 a.m. until noon Feb. 16, teaching Coupon Clipping 101 class, where attendees will "learn where to get coupons that you will use, how to organize them, and most importantly, the right way to use them," according to her blog. The event is sponsored by the library and free to the public.

Gay began her Operation $40K nearly three years ago in an effort to save money for her family.

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"I had an 'a ha' moment on March 18th of 2010 (when I started this blog)," Gay writes on Operation40k.blogspot.com. "My goal was to save $40,000 in one year, and we did it in LESS than a year — and are still saving! Simple steps, consistantly working on it, having fun — those three things will make you a success with your financial goals."

A few basic tips that Gay outlines on her blog include:

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  • Audit where your money is going: "If you don’t know where you are spending it, you can’t figure out where to cut back."
  • Cut out "non-necessities": Practices such as swapping movie theatre visits for free movie nights at your local library.
  • Do-it-yourself: Research home repairs and other projects to do yourself, rather than pay someone.
  • Clip coupons.

As of Dec. 28, 2012, Gay writes on her blog that she has saved $55,814 through all of the new habits she practices.

Gay isn't the only couponer to see great success in this money saving tactic: a 15-year-old Kansas boy says he helps his family save at least 50 percent on every grocery shopping trip through extreme couponing, according to Fox4kc.com, and a 23-year-old mother of two has saved $600 since 2013 began using coupons, according to DodgeGlobe.com. 

People interested in attending must register for the program; you can call the library at 262-284-5031.

Are you a couponer?

Tell us your tips in the comments.


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